Art and music have a rich cultural heritage that has been celebrated for centuries. Over the years, the art and music of Nigeria have gained international recognition, including from the royal family of Britain.
Nigerian singer Tiwa Savage has been confirmed to perform at Windsor Castle on Sunday, May 7 in honor of King Charles’ coronation. This makes her the first Nigeria singer to perform for the royal family and the second African joining Singer Lorraine Lionheart who was the first African artist to perform at the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022.
The Coronation concert will take place on the grounds of Windsor Castle and will be broadcast on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, as well as BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds.
The “Somebody’s Son” singer will join a lineup of other entertainers including Steve Winwood, Nicole Scherzinger, Paloma Faith, and Olly Murs, among others. The production will also feature other stars like Tom Cruise, Dame Joan Collins, and Sir Tom Jones, who will appear via video message.
The relationship between Nigerian art and the British royal family can be traced back to the colonial era, when Nigeria was under British rule. During this time, many Nigerian artists and musicians were exposed to European art and music, which influenced their work.
Ben Enwonwu
Ben Enwonwu was a Nigerian artist and sculptor who gained international recognition for his work. He’s known for his sculpture of Queen Elizabeth II, which was commissioned in 1956 and unveiled in Lagos in 1957. The sculpture was also exhibited at the Tate Gallery in London.
Ahead of her arrival, Enwonwu received a royal commission to commemorate her visit with a statue, which made him the first African artist to create an official portrait of a member of the royal family. He began working on the sculpture the following year, visiting Buckingham Palace in London for several sittings.
In 1957, Queen Elizabeth II sat for Enwonwu for a large bronze sculpture . In all, Queen Elizabeth sat for Enwonwu 12 times, eight of which were at Buckingham Palace, according to the Ben Enwonwu Foundation’s website. The rest of the sittings took place at a private studio belonging to Sir William Reid-Dick, Enwonwu’s colleague at the Royal Society of British Artists.
Oluwole Omofemi
Oluwole Omofemi is one of the most sought after Nigerian artists after he was commissioned for a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II for the cover of Tatler’s platinum jubilee issue. At the start of his career, the Nigerian artist sold 12 paintings to a friend for £1,000 but with the popularity of his painting of the late Queen, has seen him make millions of dollars selling his artworks worldwide.
The 34-year-old’s vast portraits of women plucked from the streets of his home city of Ibadan, Nigeria (pop in palette but Old Master in sensibility) have contributed to a surge of interest in African portraiture.
King Charles in Nigeria
In 2018, King Charles III on his third leg of his west African tour visited Nigeria and was treated to a traditional dance performance by a group of Nigerian dancers. He met with some of Nigeria’s notable monarchs who visited Prince Charles in Abuja.
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, and The Sultan of Sokoto were among the monarchs who visited the then Prince of Wales.
The British royal family’s appreciation of Nigerian art and music reflects the growing recognition of the importance of cultural diversity and the need to celebrate and preserve cultural heritage.
The support and recognition of the British and the United Kingdom generally have helped to raise the profile of Nigerian art and music and have inspired a new generation of artists and musicians to continue to celebrate and promote their cultural heritage.
The likes of Wizkid, Burna Boy, Fireboy and Rema have had notable successes in the UK market topping charts and breaking record sales in the region due to the acceptance of the Nigerian music culture globally.
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